Multifunctional convertible article

ABSTRACT

A multifunctional convertible sewn or knitted article that is made from flexible materials is convertible to a three-dimensional item with functions unassociated with functions of the original article that can be further transformed into a carrying device. It comprises an article portion and a container for this article portion that is incorporated into this article and is constructed in accordance with a desired predetermined shape and design of items into which the article can be transformed. The incorporated container is used such a way that when the article is encompassed inside the container and parts of the container are joined together along their sides by fastening means it takes the predetermined three-dimensional shape of the desired item. The size of the container must correspond to the volume of the article encompassed inside in such a way that when the article is encompassed and closed inside the container, additional filler is not needed to take a desired three-dimensional shape.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the field of sewn knitted products. This isa convertible sewn or knitted article made from flexible material, whichgains through transformations a specific utility in a plurality ofdifferent situations. The applicable areas to which the presentinvention pertains are many. One such area is that of wearing apparel.The present invention more particularly relates to a transformation ofsewn or knitted garment where this garment may be encompassed insideitself with the help of the built-in container with predetermined shapeand design in a manner, which can transforms it into thethree-dimensional object with functions unassociated with wearing suchas:

-   -   a self-container for storage and preservation which is always        readily at hand    -   a stuffed toy    -   a pillow    -   a toy-pillow    -   a decorative cushion    -   a carrying device: carrying bag or knapsack in case of big        articles; waistband sac or purse in case of small articles    -   in case of small articles: a miniature stuffed toy, a home        decoration, a key ring toy, a key ring purse, a car decoration,        a Halloween decoration, a Christmas tree decoration, a miniature        stuffed tourist souvenir and the like    -   a stuffed decoration with indicia used as a promotional logo    -   a stuffed three-dimensional object with any other functions that        can be discovered.

The present invention can be useful as well for the transformation ofany detachable part of the wearing apparel such as: a detachable hood, adetachable lining, detachable sleeves and the like.

After the first transformation a new object can have one or more newfunctions. For example: a winter jacket can be transformed to a stuffedtoy or to a toy-pillow. After the second transformation this object canbe transformed further to another object with new one or more functions.For example: the stuffed toy or the toy-pillow can be transformed to aknapsack that has two functions: to carry the winter jacket and to carrysmall items in it's one or more pockets.

The present invention allows the owner of the convertible article todecide in what object to transform his convertible article and alsodecide what function of this object to use. When the owner is a child,he can transform his wearing apparel or a detachable part of thisapparel into a stuffed toy or a toy-pillow in order to enjoy carrying itand playing with it or using it as a pillow to comfort himself duringhis rest time. When the owner needs to remove his outer garment and notwear it as the ambient temperature increases or in the places where itis warm enough (in the car, in the cinema, in the mall, in the store andthe like), the owner wants to free his hands from his garment. He canconvert it to a carrying device in order to store it and not lose it byenfolding it inside the incorporated container and releasing hiddenstrings and attaching them to buttons designed for this purpose. Thefunction of carrying is not limited only by carrying the convertiblearticle itself but the converted carrying device has a receptacle tocarry small-sized goods in it.

If the convertible article is a small item such as: a t-shirt, a hat, ababy clothes, a scarf and the like it can be transformed into aminiature stuffed toy or into a small carrying bag, or into a waistbandbag, or into a purse. This miniature items are easy to carry along andthe owner has his piece of clothing ready for changing but hidden forothers.

In the case of flat sewn or knitted products such as shawls, blankets,sleeping bags, towels and the like, the present invention allows one toenfold them into the container with predetermined shape and design andto use it, besides the already mentioned functions, for their convenientcarriage, storage and preservation. Or if the owner is a child theconvertible flat sewn or knitted article can also have an educationalfunction. For example: in order to present to a child the concept ofthree-dimensional geometric figures and the way these three-dimensionalgeometric figures are constructed we could convert the sewn or knittedarticle into a three-dimensional geometrical object such as: cylinder,pyramid, cube, sphere and the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Garments which may be converted into carrier bags or similar luggagecarriers are generally well-known in the prior art. It is also known inthe art to provide a garment wherein a pouch is provided for receivingthe garment in a folded arrangement for convenient carriage and storage.Convertible garments that provide carrying bags have general applicationfor use as tote or utility bags. Garment and pouch arrangements provideouterwear to accommodate changing weather inclemency in a readilyportable pouch. For these and other reasons, convertible garments havebeen provided in the form of outerwear and active sportswear apparel.

Hitherto a number of garments were already proposed for utilizing thetransformed garment as only a carrying bag (see, for examples U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,476,587, 4,347,629, 4,689,831, 4,307,470, 5,165,111 or 4,389,735)only a toy or (see, for examples U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,669.

However, this particular invention intends to give to the owner a choiceof converting the article to a stuffed toy, toy-pillow or to carryingbag or other three-dimensional item depending of the situation and hisdesire. When converted to toy-pillow it is useful if the owner needs arestful and relaxing position (in the car, in the cinema, a child in hisstroller). When converted to a toy in the case of a child-owner it isuseful for playing and in meantime carrying this article with him,freeing his accompanied adults from the responsibility of carrying hisstuff. After all, this toy or toy-pillow can be converted to thecarrying device using fastening strings that are incorporated into thetoy or toy-pillow, but before hidden. When the garment is not needed forits wearing purposes (the season for the garment is changed or the childis grown-up or the garment is out of fashion) it can be preserved as atoy or as a toy-pillow or as a stuffed decoration or as a decorativecushion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

-   -   A primary object of the invention, accordingly, is to provide a        convertible article made from flexible material that when the        owner doesn't need it for its particular purposes could be        folded in the incorporated container, transformed and used as a        three-dimensional item with completely different from previous        purposes.    -   A second object of the invention is to provide a convertible        article that can be folded in the incorporated container and        further can be transformed to a carrying device for itself in        order not to be lost and to free the owner's hands from carrying        the article.    -   A third object of the invention is to provide a convertible        article, which can be used after transformation as a carrying        device for itself and for small-sized items in a receptacle        designed for this purpose.    -   A forth object of the invention is to provide a container for        the article for protection, preservation and storing. This        container is incorporated into the article in such a way that        not to interfere with the intended use of the article.    -   A fifth object of the invention is to provide a container for        the article for protection, preservation and storing when the        article is not needed but at the same time being useful as        another object with other functions.

The container for the convertible article has one or more parts whichare shaped such a way that, when joined together, their sides correspondby the length and can be fastened in order to build the predeterminedthree-dimensional container. These parts can have one or more details ofdesign depending of the nature of the transferred object. They also canhave darts and/or curved seams in order to form the tree-dimensionalshape. The manner of joining the pieces and the means of joining thepieces are arbitrary. They must have a fastening means such as: zippersor buttons and loops/buttonholes or snap-fasteners or others all aroundthe parts' shape in order to close these parts together with theencompassed article inside. What the construction of the container mustachieve is a predetermined three-dimensional shape which encompasses avolume of the convertible article and which is sufficient to accommodatethe article without requiring any other external agent to reach theproper volume.

Parts of the incorporated container for the convertible article can beattached to any part of the article and be part of the article's design.They can be attached to the shell of the article and be visible beforetransformation or they can be attached to the lining if the article hasone. Some of the parts can be hidden inside between the exterior surfaceand lining if the article has one or inside the pocket and be invisiblebefore transformation.

Constructional parts of the container, which are visible beforetransformation are parts of decorative design of this article and can befunctional by themselves as a logo or/and as a pockets.

Carrying straps or fastening strings for a carrying device areincorporated into the container. They attached to the surface of the oneof the container's parts and hidden while the container is not used as acarrying device and will be released during the transformation into acarrying.

While the invention has application beyond garments, the preferredembodiment will be discussed with regard to garments only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-6 are front and back views of the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention:

-   -   a) a front view of the winter jacket with a hood,    -   b) a back view of the winter jacket with a hood,    -   c) an upper view of the turtle stuffed toy-pillow,    -   d) a bottom view of the turtle stuffed toy-pillow and    -   e) a side view of the turtle knapsack.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention in the unfolded state. It looks like an ordinary front view ofthe winter jacket with a hood.

FIG. 2 is a back view of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention in the unfolded state. On the back part there is an upperportion of the container with an animal design (turtle). It consists oftwo parts and is applied such that the head of the animal is applied onthe back of the hood and the body of the animal applied on the back ofthe jacket.

(The model of the garment and the design on the back of the garment canvary; also a design can be applied on any other part of the garment:front, sleeves, collar, pocket and like).

FIG. 3 depicts the preferred embodiment of the present invention in itsfolded state. It is an upper view of the container in the shape of theanimal (turtle). It looks like the design on the back of the jacket fromFIG. 2 with added elements of the animal (paws and tail) that werehidden in the unfolded state.

FIG. 4 depicts the side view of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention in its folded state.

FIG. 5 depicts the bottom view of the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention in its folded state.

This is actually also the bottom portion of the container that washidden in its unfolded state between the exterior back part of thejacket and its lining back part and that can be separated from thegarment for cleaning purposes. (Only the outer carved edge of a turtle'sshell 23, which is the part of the upper portion of the container,doesn't relate to the bottom portion of the container). This is also theinner side of the carrying bag or knapsack with the receptacle clothedby zipper and the fastening strings attached to the front paws of theanimal toy which will be passed around the shoulders.

FIG. 6 is a perspective inner view of the winter jacket. This figurerepresents a transparent view from the lining side and shows how thebottom portion of the toy-pillow-cushion-knapsack is folded and hiddenbetween the back inside layer and the back external layer of the jacket.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a convertible jacket.

FIG. 7 a is a back view of a convertible jacket with only one part of acontainer.

FIG. 7 b is a carrying bag in the form of a butterfly with the jacketencompassed inside.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a convertible jacket with one part of acontainer.

FIG. 8 a is a back view of a convertible jacket with second part of acontainer.

FIG. 8 b is a knapsack in the form of a heart with the jacketencompassed inside.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a convertible bathrobe, where two frontpockets are two parts of the container.

FIG. 9 a is a carrying bag in the form of the fish with the bathrobeencompassed inside.

FIG. 10 is an upper view of a convertible blanket with a boy figure withcompleted head, hands and feet.

FIG. 10 a is a bottom view of a semi folded convertible blanket with aboy torso and legs.

FIG. 10 b is a front view of a stuffed toy of a boy.

FIG. 11 is an upper view of a convertible sleeping bag.

FIG. 11 a is a toy-pillow in the form of a star with the sleeping bagencompassed inside.

FIG. 12 is an upper view of a convertible towel with constructionalparts of a cylinder.

FIG. 12 a is a cylinder with the towel encompassed inside.

FIG. 13 is a front view of a convertible t-shirt with one part of acontainer attached to the front and other part of the container ishidden inside a front pocket.

FIG. 13 a is a miniature stuffed toy in the form of a maple leaf or akey ring toy with the t-shirt encompassed inside.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIGS. 1-6 the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown.For this particular design the form of a turtle was chosen for thecontainer with a predetermined idea to be used as a toy or as atoy-pillow or as a decorative cushion or as a knapsack. But it can beany other design of an animal or an object.

The garment portion, generally designated 10, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, iscomprised of the front of the garment body 11, of the back of thegarment body 12, two sleeves 13 and 14 and a hood 15.

On the front view of the garment in FIG. 1 we can see that hood 15 isattached to the garment's back by a sewing method and to the garment'sfront by snap-fasteners 15 a (in this particular design, but it can beattached with buttons and loops/buttonholes or with a zipper also). Itis important because in order to enfold the garment into the containerwe have to unfasten these snap-fasteners, to detach the front portion ofthe hood 15 from the front portion of the garment 11. In the seam thatconnects the hood's lining and the garment's back lining a zipper 12 ais inserted in order to have the opening between the lining surface andthe external surface of the garment through which the hidden beforetransformation bottom portion of the container 30 (FIG. 4) can be takenout for further transformation. But this opening can be design in otherplace on the lining.

The upper container portion, shown in FIG. 2, comprised of the body ofan animal portion 21 (shell of the turtle) attached on the back part ofthe garment 12 and the head of an animal portion 22 (head of the turtle)attached on the back of the hood 15 and generally designated 20. Thepreferred method of attachment is sewing. All along the contour of theshape 20 (upper part of the container), between upper portion of thehead of an animal 22 (head of the turtle) and the hood 15 and betweenupper portion of the body of an animal 21 (shell of the turtle) and theback of the garment body 12 separated sides of zippers (which allow,when transformation is needed, to join two parts of the container: upperpart FIGS. 2-20 and bottom part FIG. 5-30) are inserted: 21 a, 21 b, 22a, 22 b.

One side of a zipper 21 a and one side of a zipper 21 b are inserted bysewing method in such a way that they are not visible on garment bodyback 21 because they are covered by outer edge of a turtle's shell 23,which is a separate part of the pattern. The outer edge of the turtle'sshell 23 is attached only by the inner contour of its pattern along withone side of a zipper 21 a and one side of another zipper 21 b.

The starting point of inserting zippers 21 a and 21 b is point 21 e andthe finishing points are 21 c and 21 d: the points where the body partof the turtle (shell) 21 connects with the head part of the turtle 22.

Other sides of these zippers 21 a, 21 b, 22 a, and 22 b are visible onFIG. 5 which depicts the bottom view the converted toy and at the sametime FIG. 5 depicts the bottom portion of the container (excluding theouter edge of the turtle shell 23). The opening along a joining line ofthe back lining and the hood lining FIG. 6-12 a is closed by means of azipper when the bottom part of container FIG. 6-30 is folded and hiddenand the garment is not transformed into another item. The bottom portionof the container FIG. 6-30 is attached from inside to the seam whichjoins the hood and the back of the garment at point FIG. 6-12 b by alittle string with a snap-fastener. Another zipper FIG. 6-12 c isinserted in the hem of the back part of the garment. It allows reachingthe hidden bottom part of the container and attaching it from inside topoint FIG. 6-12 d to the back portion of the garment by a little stringwith a snap-fastener. When the garment needs to be cleaned the bottomportion of the container FIG. 6-30 can be completely and easily takenout and separated from the garment and cleaned separately.

The bottom portion of the container FIG. 5 consists of two major parts:the body of the animal 31 and the head of the animal 32, joined togetherby seam 30 a and five small parts: two front paws 33 a and 33 b, twoback paws 34 a and 34 b and a tail 35. Two front paws 33 a and 33 b areinserted in seam 30 b and two back paws 34 a and 34 b and the tail 35are inserted in seam 30 c. Details 33 a, 33 b, 34 a, 34 b and 35 can beeasily folded to the center of the bottom portion of the container inorder to be hidden inside between the lining surface and the externalsurface of the back of the garment FIG. 6.

On the front paws there are the strings with buttonholes 33 c, 33 dattached to the outer edge of the paw and folded inside and passedthrough the little loop. The buttons 34 c and 34 d are attached to backpaws in order to be used along with the strings 33 c, 33 d whentransformation to a knapsack is needed.

There is an opening with zipper 31 a which is actually an inside pocketfor small items.

In the preferred embodiment the article of clothing is shown as a hoodedwinter jacket but it should be noted that any article of clothing or anyarticle of other sewn or knitted product could be chosen. The onlyrequirement to be considered is the ability of the material of which thearticle consists to be flexible and to be able to be encompassed insidea container.

What I claim is:
 1. A multifunctional convertible sewn or knittedarticle that made from flexible materials useful with particularpurposes and after transformation through enfolding inside theincorporated container useful as a three-dimensional item functionalapart from the original article comprising: a sewn or knitted articleand a container for this article whose size corresponds to the volume ofthe article encompassed into this container such a way that noadditional filler is needed to form a predetermined three-dimensionalshape; said container having predetermined shape and design, whichrepresents the reproduction of a desired item in which the article canbe transformed after enfolding inside the container and the function ofwhich is unassociated with the function of a container; said containerbeing attached to this article; said container has at least one partthat can be secured along its corresponding sides by means of zippers,or buttons and loops/buttonholes, or snap-fasteners or others and builda receptacle for convertible article; said container has at least onepart that can be flat or prominent depending of desired shape of stuffedcontainer; said prominent part or parts of the container formed by dartsor by curved seams; said part or parts of the container could beattached to any part of the article; said part or parts of the containerbeing attached to the surface of the convertible article and beingvisible and/or said part or parts of the container being attached to theinternal surface of the convertible article and being invisible; saidvisible part or parts of the container having particular functions inthe convertible article by themselves such as: a receptacle for smallitems, a logo and the like; said invisible parts of the container can behidden and secured inside the article between external surface andinternal lining (in cases of articles with lining) or inside the pocketor inside the article between one of the visible parts attached to theexternal surface of the article and this surface itself;
 2. Athree-dimensional item formed from multifunctional convertible sewn orknitted article that made from flexible materials as defined in clime 1,wherein this item is being able to be converted to a carrying device foritself.
 3. A three-dimensional item formed from multifunctionalconvertible sewn or knitted article that made from flexible materials asdefined in clime 1, wherein this item is being able to be converted to acarrying device having a receptacle for small entities.
 4. Amultifunctional convertible sewn or knitted article that made fromflexible materials useful with particular purposes and aftertransformation through enfolding inside the incorporated containeruseful as a stuffed toy comprising: a sewn or knitted article and acontainer for this article whose size corresponds to the volume of thearticle encompassed into this container such a way that no additionalfiller is needed to form a predetermined three-dimensional form fordesired stuffed toy; said container having predetermined shape anddesign, which represents the reproduction of a desired toy in which thearticle can be transformed after enfolding inside the container; saidcontainer being attached to this article; said container has at leastone part that can be secured along its corresponding sides by means ofzippers, or buttons and loops/buttonholes, or snap-fasteners or othersand build a receptacle for convertible article; said container has atleast one part that can be flat or prominent depending of desired shapeof stuffed toy; said prominent part or parts of the container formed bydarts or by curved seams; said part or parts of the container could beattached to any part of the article; said part or parts of the containerbeing attached to the surface of the convertible article and beingvisible and/or said part or parts of the container being attached to theinternal surface of the convertible article and being invisible; saidvisible part or parts of the container having particular functions inthe convertible article by themselves such as: a receptacle for smallitems, a logo and the like; said invisible parts of the container can behidden and secured inside the article between external surface andinternal lining (in cases of articles with lining) or inside the pocketor inside the article between one of the container's parts attached tothe external surface of the article and this surface itself; saidstuffed toy having one or more parts such as: body, head, extremities orother predetermined parts; said parts of the toy can be completed andattached to the article or to the container in predetermined placesbefore transformation or they can be formed after fastening thecontainer; 4a. In case of small articles encompassed inside thecontainer, this container after fastening has the function of miniaturedecoration or miniature stuffed toy.
 5. The container as defined inclime 4, wherein parts of the container form the surface of the stuffedtoy.
 6. A stuffed toy formed from multifunctional convertible sewn orknitted article that made from flexible materials as defined in clime 4,wherein this toy is being able to be converted to a carrying device foritself.
 7. A stuffed toy formed from multifunctional convertible sewn orknitted article that made from flexible materials as defined in clime 4,wherein this toy is being able to be converted to a carrying devicehaving a receptacle for small entities.
 8. A multifunctional convertiblesewn or knitted article that made from flexible materials useful withparticular purposes and after transformation through enfolding insidethe incorporated container useful as a toy-pillow or decorative cushionincluding: a sewn or knitted article and a container for this articlewhose size corresponds to the volume of the article encompassed intothis container such a way that no additional filler is needed to form apredetermined three-dimensional form of a toy-pillow or decorativecushion; said container having predetermined shape and design, whichrepresents the reproduction of a desired toy-pillow or decorativecushion in which the article can be transformed after enfolding insidethe container; said container being attached to this article; saidcontainer has at least one part that can be secured along itscorresponding sides by means of zippers, or buttons andloops/buttonholes, or snap-fasteners or others and build a receptaclefor convertible article; said container has at least one part that canbe flat or prominent depending of desired shape of toy-pillow ordecorative cushion, said prominent part or parts of the container formedby darts or by curved seams; said part or parts of the container couldbe attached to any part of the article; said part or parts of thecontainer being attached to the surface of the convertible article andbeing visible and/or said part or parts of the container being attachedto the internal surface of the convertible article and being invisible;said visible part or parts of the container having particular functionsin the convertible article by themselves such as: a receptacle for smallitems, a logo and the like; said invisible parts of the container can behidden and secured inside the article between external surface andinternal lining (in cases of articles with lining) or inside the pocketor inside the article between one of the container's parts attached tothe external surface of the article and this surface itself; saidtoy-pillow or decorative cushion having one or more parts such as: body,head, extremities or other predetermined parts; said parts of thetoy-pillow or decorative cushion can be completed and attached to thearticle or to the container in predetermined places beforetransformation or they can be formed after fastening the container; 9.The container as defined in clime 8, wherein parts of the container formthe surface of the toy-pillow or decorative cushion.
 10. A toy-pillow ordecorative cushion formed from multifunctional convertible sewn orknitted article that made from flexible materials as defined in clime 8,wherein this toy-pillow or decorative cushion is being able to beconverted to a carrying device for itself.
 11. A toy-pillow ordecorative cushion formed from multifunctional convertible sewn orknitted article that made from flexible materials as defined in clime 8,wherein this toy-pillow or decorative cushion is being able to beconverted to a carrying device having a receptacle for small entities.12. A carrying device for a multifunctional convertible sewn or knittedarticle that made from flexible materials including: a sewn or knittedarticle and a container for this article; said container being attachedto this article; said container has at least one part that can besecured along its corresponding sides by means of zippers, or buttonsand loops/buttonholes, or snap-fasteners or others and build areceptacle for convertible article; said container has at least one partthat can be flat or prominent depending of desired shape of stuffedcontainer; said prominent part or parts of the container formed by dartsor by curved seams; said part or parts of the container could beattached to any part of the article; said part or parts of the containerbeing attached to the surface of the convertible article and beingvisible and/or said part or parts of the container being attached to theinternal surface of the convertible article and being invisible; saidvisible part or parts of the container having particular functions inthe convertible article by themselves such as: a receptacle for smallitems, a logo and the like; said invisible parts of the container can behidden and secured inside the article between external surface andinternal lining (in cases of articles with lining) or inside the pocketor inside the article between one of the container's parts attached tothe external surface of the article and this surface itself; carryingstraps or fastening strings for a carrying device are incorporated intothe container. They attached to the surface of the container and hiddenwhile the container is not used as a carrying device and will bereleased during the transformation into a carrying device.
 13. Acarrying device for a multifunctional convertible sewn or knittedarticle that made from flexible materials as defined in clime 12 havinga receptacle for small entities.
 14. A multifunctional convertibledetachable part of sewn or knitted article made from flexible materialsuseful with particular purposes and after transformation throughenfolding this detachable part inside the incorporated container usefulas another three-dimensional item functional apart from the originaldetachable part comprising: a detachable part of sewn or knitted articleand a container for this detachable part whose size corresponds to thevolume of the detachable part encompassed into this container such a waythat no additional filler is needed to form a predeterminedthree-dimensional shape; said container having predetermined shape anddesign, which represents the reproduction of a desired item in which thedetachable part can be transformed and used after the detachable part isencompassed inside the container and the function of which isunassociated with the function of the container; said container beingattached to this detachable part; said container has at least one partthat can be secured along its corresponding sides by means of zippers,or buttons and loops/buttonholes, or snap-fasteners or others and builda receptacle for the detachable part; said container has at least onepart that can be flat or prominent depending of desired shape of stuffedcontainer; said prominent part or parts of the container formed by dartsor by curved seams; said part or parts of the container could beattached to any part of the detachable part; said part or parts of thecontainer being attached to the surface of the convertible detachablepart and being visible or said part or parts of the container beingattached to the internal surface of the convertible detachable part andbeing invisible; said visible part or parts of the container havingparticular functions in the convertible detachable part by themselvessuch as: a receptacle for small items, a logo and the like; saidinvisible parts of the container can be hidden and secured inside thedetachable part between external surface and internal lining (in casesof articles with lining) or inside the pocket or inside the detachablepart between one of the container's parts attached to the externalsurface of the detachable part and this surface itself.